1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector device for IC card to be mounted in an apparatus which is used by inserting and pulling two IC cards into and out of the apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a connector device for IC card substantially comprises a pin header having a large number of pin contacts to be connected to socket contacts disposed in the IC card, the pin contacts being disposed in a pin housing, a frame for guarding the IC card when inserted or ejected, and an ejection mechanism for ejecting from the pin contacts the IC card as inserted. There also is known a connector device for IC card wherein the housing and the frame are formed in one piece with each other.
In a connector device for IC card disclosed in Japanese Published Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. Hei 6-13072, two IC cards are disposed in two vertical stages in a guide portion of a frame so that they can be inserted and ejected by two push rods respectively which are mounted in an up-down relation to each other, and two ejection mechanisms connected respectively to the two push rods are disposed at upper and lower positions of the frame. The ejection mechanisms are each provided with first and second transfer levers which are linked between the associated push rod and a slide plate, a third transfer lever supported pivotally by the first transfer lever and capable of being engaged with and disengaged from the second transfer lever, and a heart cam mechanism capable of holding the push rod at a push-in position and a first projecting position. Pushing force of the push rod is transmitted selectively to the slide plate in proportion to the amount of projection of the push rod.
More particularly, with an IC card inserted, the push rod is held at the push-in position and the third transfer lever is not in engagement with the second transfer lever, but if the push rod is projected up to the first projecting position by the heart cam mechanism and is thereafter pulled up to a second projecting position closer to the user side, the third transfer lever comes into engagement with the second transfer lever at the second projecting position. In this state, therefore, if the push rod is pushed toward the push-in position, the pushing force is transmitted to the slide plate through each transfer lever, so that the slide plate pushes (ejects) the IC card toward the user side.
In this way, the upper and lower IC cards are each ejected by operating the two push rods each individually as above.
Thus, according to the connector device for IC card disclosed in the foregoing unexamined publication, two IC cards are used and two push rods are disposed in an up-down relation to each other. Therefore, there arises such problems as an increase in the number of components used, an increase of cost, deterioration of the assembling performance, and an increase in vertical size of the connector device.
Moreover, since three transfer levers, which are linked together, are disposed between the push rod and the slide plate and the pushing force of the push rod is transmitted to the slide plate or is cut off according to postures of those transfer levers, it is necessary to ensure a wide space for rotation of the transfer levers, that is, the reduction in size of the connector device for IC card is obstructed.